On Friday 27 February, Big Think partner PwC hosted its second global webcast focused on the question, ‘What would you do if you were not afraid?’ The webcast was part of ‘Aspire to Lead: The PwC Women’s...

Designers of the new federal system for sending emergency alerts to our cell phones devoted at lot attention to setting up the technical aspects, but not enough to figuring out what the messages should say....

Why Working for a Corporation Is Better than a Start Up

Who wouldn't like to, at least in principle, strike out on their own and control their own destiny? That is the dream of the start up, and while the small, agile business may have more cultural caché at the moment, having a job at a corporation can teach you about leadership and innovation in ways that start ups cannot. At a start up, you must learn to disrupt others' business plans. At a corporation, you must learn to disrupt your own business plans, which emphasizes the important skill of self-examination and self-criticism.

What's the Big Idea?

Not surprisingly, it is the size of corporations that often determine its strong and weak points. In the strengths column, corporations already make a lot of money, so they show their employees how to create a lasting business with sustainable profits. The reality is that most start ups will fail. And because of corporations' scale, when a change is made, the ripple effect can touch societies on the other side of the world, amplifying the impact that one individual can have. Finally, corporations have more resources with which to innovate. Which would you prefer? A $20 million dollar budget for your project or a $20,000 budget?